How Did Chefs from China Rate Cook Do? A Tasting of Three Dishes Made in Ajibo's Kitchen

The first dish was the regular Qingjiao Rousi. Asa-san made it not the restaurant's way but following the home recipe on the back of the package. Ryuji also stressed, "You have to do it the way it says on the back of the package." The ingredients were pork loin meant for ginger pork, cut into thin strips, six green peppers, and julienned boiled bamboo shoots.

First, one tablespoon of potato starch is dusted over the pork. Last time, the head chef used a starch slurry, but this time it is used as a dry powder. According to Asa-san, a starch slurry is hard to use at home. Also, loin for ginger pork is a bit tough, so it is cooked only after a solid coating has formed.

Cook Do also places importance on the order of cooking, so the green peppers and bamboo shoots are stir-fried first rather than the meat. The restaurant's burner is powerful, and Ryuji chimed in with advice that "almost low heat here is about the same as high heat at home." At home you would use one tablespoon of oil, but since this was a wok, a little more was added. The vegetables are quickly stir-fried and set aside on a plate, then more oil is added and the pork is stir-fried. At home, you don't need to toss the wok as much as in a restaurant. Since the meat is lean, it is best to stop once it has turned white all over and not overcook it.

Here, Asa-san explained that the official way to open the pouch is to open one side and then the other. The key point of the method is to coat the meat with the sauce first and then return the vegetables. This way, the flavor spreads evenly throughout. When Ryuji asked, "So it's not that it's tasty because it was made in a wok?", Asa-san answered that it's the sauce that makes it delicious.

The second dish was the Premium Mala Mapo Tofu. The head chef had used firm tofu, but Asa-san chose silken tofu. The reason given was that many Japanese people prefer silken, and it has a pleasant texture.

100g of ground pork is stir-fried in one tablespoon of oil. Asa-san says that searing it and letting it scorch a little adds complexity to the flavor. The head chef had added a variety of seasonings, but those are included in the Premium mapo sauce. According to Asa-san, the doubanjiang is an aged type in the tradition of Pixian doubanjiang. It is fermented for a short period so that it develops richness while keeping its red color. What's more, it is made in their own factory. Ryuji didn't know this and responded, "Please mention things like that properly." The douchi is also made in-house, and Asa-san explained that they make doubanjiang, tianmianjiang, douchi, and broad bean miso in their own factory.

Once the ground meat has browned, the sauce is mixed in and the tofu is added right away. If you have time, pre-treating the tofu, such as by blanching it in oil, firms it up, helps it absorb flavor, and draws out moisture. It was skipped this time because the heat was strong, but Asa-san recommends doing it at home. No water is added; it can be finished with just the sauce. Finally, chopped Japanese leek was added to retain some texture, and the dish was done. Asa-san's arms, after continually tossing the heavy wok, seemed close to their limit. Even Ryuji said, "My arms couldn't handle it."

The third dish was the Premium Mala Twice-Cooked Pork, using 250g of pork belly. Thick cuts were prepared this time, but thin slices are fine too. The head chef had boiled the meat first before cutting it. The Cook Do recipe is designed with home cooking in mind, so the raw meat is stir-fried as is.

The vegetables were 100g of onion cut into wedges and one Japanese leek thinly sliced on the diagonal. No cabbage is used. Asa-san explained that the garlic greens and similar vegetables used in China are hard to find in Japan, so onion and leek are used as substitutes. First, only the onion is stir-fried until translucent, then removed. Next, the pork and leek are stir-fried together, with the leek eliminating the pork's odor. When using pork belly at home, cutting it large, about 10cm wide, makes it more satisfying to eat. The regular twice-cooked pork says 5cm, but for this one, they want you to cut it at 10cm. Thick meat gets tough if overcooked. So, anticipating the cooking that would continue after adding the sauce, Asa-san stopped early.

The sauce contains doubanjiang, tianmianjiang, and douchi. In addition, a special chili oil and Sichuan pepper oil are used for aroma, and a little five-spice powder is added for a spicy fragrance. A touch of star anise aroma is also included. The head chef's twice-cooked pork also had a slight numbing quality and sweetness, and its direction was close to the mala twice-cooked pork. Ryuji and Asa-san were nervous about being compared to it. Finally, the onion was returned and lightly tossed, and the dish was complete.

The tasters were the head chef, the company president, the store manager, and others. The first dish, the Qingjiao Rousi, drew a string of "delicious" comments. A participant trying Cook Do for the first time reacted, "That's unexpected."

One participant described it as "similar to my mom's cooking," saying it was a homestyle flavor and easy to eat. Ryuji took this as a "really great comment." It is simple to make, and anyone can do it. On the other hand, a contrast was drawn that the restaurant's dishes have a "restaurant taste." Some said they preferred the restaurant's food but that this was delicious too. One impression was that they had been worried before eating but it turned out surprisingly good, and Asa-san appeared overcome with emotion.

From here on were the Premium versions, and Asa-san prefaced them by saying the flavor is designed with restaurants in mind. For the mapo tofu, the aroma was praised first. Several voices agreed that the balance of heat and numbing spice was just right.

One participant pointed out that the amount of oil was carefully calculated. When Ryuji checked whether the amount, with red oil floating on top, was intentional, Asa-san confirmed it. The regular series doesn't use that much oil, but the Premium series has chili oil and Sichuan pepper in the sauce. Comments such as "I want rice with this" and "It's high-level" also came up. Ryuji said that when they were eating the restaurant's food, he had not expected things to turn out this way. That was because the restaurant's food was so delicious that he was anxious.

The twice-cooked pork, which Asa-san said includes a considerable amount of original creativity, was also well received: "The sauce is really delicious." Asa-san explained as follows. The la jiang and douchi they had eaten locally were sharp and had no sweetness. So, for Japanese tastes, they added a little tianmianjiang and also adjusted it with black vinegar, not too strongly. The head chef said it resembled one of the restaurant's dishes.

The store manager said they would love it eaten with napa cabbage. Right there, there was also talk of taking it home as a variation recipe. A participant trying it for the first time also rated it "totally good."

Ryuji asked whether there was anything that could make it better. One participant said the first two dishes were good enough for them. They then pointed out, regarding the Premium versions, that the weak heat of a home stove cannot fully bring out the aroma. The gist was that without a wok and a commercial burner, moisture is released. They also mentioned letting it sit a little after finishing, and Ryuji responded, "Seems like you could do it just by directing." Asa-san thanked them, saying they would take it into consideration.

The head chef said they were impressed by the development work. Even from their perspective as a professional, they thought the flavor was good. However, they also said one dish tasted slightly light. Even so, for home cooking it would be no problem at all. Their view was that mom's cooking is about earnestly making something delicious without overthinking it, a flavor that lets a family eat plenty of white rice together with their children. Asa-san took this as valuable feedback.

Another participant praised both the Qingjiao Rousi and the mapo sauce as convenient and easy to make at home. It's hard to make dishes of this level at home. That's exactly why, they said, everyone would probably be happy if they could make food of this standard at home. Ryuji responded that he was happy to hear that from Chinese people. He also revealed that while eating the restaurant's food, the two of them had been worried, wondering "Will it be okay?"

Ryuji summed up that the result of having people from China eat Cook Do was "delicious," and that it had largely passed. The participants agreed: "It's totally good." There was also a remark to the effect that, among the many Chinese restaurants in town, quite a few can't make food tastier than this.

Finally, there was a scene where they each tasted one more of the head chef's dishes. The first was a dish made with an ingredient that is rehydrated from dried, simmered to absorb flavor, and then finely cut. The head chef explained that rehydrating it from its raw state is difficult and time-consuming. Ryuji was surprised: "It becomes this easy to bite through?" and "It's meaty." He then said that Cook Do probably wouldn't take on upscale dishes like this.

The other dish was a tender meat dish using fillet. According to the head chef, the quality of the meat is the deciding factor. Ryuji noted the sweetness of the leek, the tenderness of the meat, and the crispness of the vegetables. Since Chinese meals involve eating many dishes, overly strong flavors make it hard to eat much. But he praised this dish as satisfying while seasoned in a way that makes you want to eat more. The video ended with an invitation to come eat at Ajibo if you're interested.